I keep Benadryl and meat tenderizer on both boats and in the beach bag. I have one child that is very allergic to insects. Why is it that he is the one to always get stung? The meat tenderizer is for jellyfish. We can get large smacks of jellies in late summer.

My dad has a massive allergy to bee stings - I'm talking about passing out within 2 minutes of a sting, followed by an ambulance ride to the hospital - so I usually roll with at least 2 in the boat. I didn't know they were sensitive to temp, so I'll have to refine my storage a bit . . . .

It is usually advised to contact 911 when giving an epi pen because it will make your heart race extremely fast. Don't give one unless you know what you are doing. We have to carry one everyone for my son's allergies.

My daughter has a severe peanut allergy so if she is out with us we have the epi pens onboard. We always have Benadryl onboard and also keep it in all of our vehicles at all times. The epi pens must be kept out of light and out of temperature extremes. The pens last for a year and as stated before you must have a perscription to get one. Allergies can be very dangerous and can come on very suddenly even if the person has never had problems before. Are you looking at keeping an epi pen as a precauctionary measure or does someone in your crew have an allergy?

We get three sets a year and they are around $65 per set after insurance. They are not a bad ideal to keep around and you can get a prescription pretty easily. It's one of those items you will probably never use but if you need it, it will porbably save a life. Be sure to read up on how to use it and always get 911 help if you have to use one. They buy time and you may need to use both of them which is why they give you a set. If your friend has not seen an allergist he needs to make an appointment.

"My daughter has a severe peanut allergy so if she is out with us we have the epi pens onboard." I don't understand? Ya worried about ramming a peanut butter iceberg on the boat? Wouldn't it be kind of unlikely for her to ingest peanuts while confined to a boat while you are right there?

"My daughter has a severe peanut allergy so if she is out with us we have the epi pens onboard." I don't understand? Ya worried about ramming a peanut butter iceberg on the boat? Wouldn't it be kind of unlikely for her to ingest peanuts while confined to a boat while you are right there?

When kids come into play you never know what they're gonna grab and put in their mouth or wipe on their skin. Peanut oil is in more things than you could even begin to think

Scott, like westsidarider said, when there are other people out on the boat you never know what someone may bring along. We constantly tell people not to bring food that contains peanuts but they always seem to. People are just not aware of how common peanuts are and what they can be found in. When it is your child's life you cannot risk not having the epi pens at all times even if the risk of exposure is low. She also does not have to ingest peanuts but can ingest something that is made in a factory that has peanuts. Trace amounts of peanut proteins in foods, lotions or anything else can cause a life threatening allergic reaction in my daughter.

We also have a peanut alg kid, no matter how many times you tell people, they still do stupid stuff like bringing along peanut butter cookies and it's "oh, I forgot, we'll just put these over here...t". Or peanut containing desert and "we'll just use a different spoon for that..."

My did had to go to the ER for his whole face swelling and couldn't breathe after a kid at school flicked a peanut across the cafeteria and it just glanced off his face.

Oh, I forgot I was pointing a loaded gun at -your- child next time I'm at the range....

Serious allergy is nothing to play with, and you'd likely have a dead kid by the time you got to the dock if you had no ability to treat. Keep an epipen available for that kind of alergy. Bee allergy is different, in that this person has never had a significant reaction, but that doesn't mean the next one won't be. It's his responsibility to keep a pen with him and personally I'd want to see one before he was on my boat.

You do have to have a prescription to get an EpiPen. They are expensive and they do expire quickly. I think its every 3 months. They do need to be stored in a cool dry place to be able to be kept for that long. When you administer Epi to a person their heart rate can and most likely will increase, but this also happens due to an anaphylactic reaction. If somebody does have a true anaphylactic reaction then they will have an EpiPen because it is life threatening. The thought of carrying an EpiPen as a "precaution" in the case somebody has this bad of a reaction without knowing about or being prepared for it is beyond me but go for it. Benadryl will work for most people who are allergic to things, and Epi is far more short acting than Benadryl. Most people who have EpiPen prescriptions for allergies that are not considered anaphylactic don't even carry them or get them refilled due to the cost, frequency of expiration, and lack of use. Maybe its just that being a Flight Paramedic and dealing with stuff like this every day has made me a little more comfortable with that kind of a situation but it wouldn't be a priority to me. But, if you can talk your Dr into giving you a script and $65 will pretty much cover you for the summer and that's what it takes for you to have piece of mind while enjoying the lake then go for it I suppose.